Stellantis’ Portugal plant to produce large series fully battery electric compact vans

March 31 (Reuters) – Carmaker Stellantis NV (STLAM.MI) said on Friday its Portugal plant would become the first assembly plant in the country to produce large series fully battery electric compact vans by 2025.

Stellantis’s Mangualde Production Center, which has made over 1.5 million vehicles, will produce battery electric light commercial vehicles for Citroën, Fiat, OPEL and Peugeot, the company said in a statement.

Stellantis, the world’s third-largest automotive group by sales, planned to spend over 30 billion euros ($32.53 billion) through 2025 to electrify its vehicle lineup and boost its software content to catch up with rivals, including Tesla Inc (TSLA.O).

Stellantis was created through the $52 billion merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA in 2021.

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Reporting by Chandni Shah and Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler